OpenAI's Sora burned a million dollars a day while losing half its users in record time
OpenAI's Sora app faces shutdown after rapid user decline.

OpenAI's Sora app has faced a dramatic decline in usage, dropping from approximately one million users to around 500,000 shortly after its launch, while costing the company about one million dollars a day. The app encountered copyright challenges and internal worries regarding the quality of user-generated content, leading OpenAI to pivot its focus toward more promising areas like coding and enterprise AI. As a result, Sora will be shut down in April 2026, with its API following in September 2026.
Key Takeaways
- 1.
Sora's user base plummeted from 1 million to 500,000 in a short time.
- 2.
OpenAI incurred costs of around $1 million per day while facing copyright issues.
- 3.
The app will shut down in April 2026, with the API following in September 2026.
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